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Category Archives: Uncategorized

You have been asking for them, and now we have two wide angle lenses for Canon added to our rental fleet!

Just this week, we added a Canon 16-35mm 2.8 L lens…

This one has been immediately popular as it is already rented for this weekend and next, but please call to get on the schedule (or see if it is available during the week). We will be happy to make a reservation for you.

And we are also really excited about our other new wide angle for Canon, which is the Sigma 18-35mm 1.8 lens. Yes, you read that correctly, 1.8. It is the first 1.8 zoom ever made. This lens is specifically designed for cameras with APS sized sensors. However, if you are shooting video with an APS sized sensor camera, image what you can do with this lens! The reviews on it have been fantastic.

As of the writing of this blog post, the 18-35mm 1.8 is still available for this weekend! So, give us a call if you want to try it out…you might become addicted:) Don’t worry, if that happens, we also have one in the case for sale!

Don’t forget the TN Valley Fair starts tomorrow. That is a great venue to go take some amazing and fun photographs. Plus, think of all the interesting fried food you can eat!

Many of you have been asking for this for quite a while and we are finally happy to say that we are beginning to offer a variety of classes! Our first class, Digital Photography Beginner 1, is Thursday, August 1st from 6:30pm-8pm at f/32 Photo. We will be offering classes on a variety of different topics and they will repeat on a fairly regular basis, so if you can’t make one, don’t worry, it will be scheduled again in the future.

Currently, you can find links to register for our different classes on our facebook page. We are in the process of adding a “Classes/Events” page to our website where all class information will be posted along with links for registration. We have started by sending out email blasts for our first two classes, but once the web page is complete, we will condense those blasts to announce weekly or biweekly offerings.

Many of our classes will be part of a series, so it is recommended that you take the different levels that are applicable to your knowledge base and where you need to start. Chris Morris will be teaching many of our class offerings. Chris has just recently relocated to Tennessee. He has a B.F.A. in Graphic Design and an M.F.A. in Photography. He attended the Savannah College of Art and Design and taught classes as part of his own school (Chris Morris School of Photography) while he was there before he moved to Brazil, where he has been living, working, and teaching for the last several years.

We will also be bringing in other photographers to teach various classes in the future, so stay tuned for some exciting offerings! Be sure to join our mailing list, like us on facebook, or check in on our website frequently to see what is happening.

To everyone who has provided feedback on the email invitations we have sent out so far, thank you so much! We really appreciate your thoughts and input.

Here is our class schedule for the next week along with links for more information and registration:

All of the classes listed below are $39 each and last approximately an hour and a half.

Yes, go ahead and picture Julie Andrews spinning in a meadow, arms open wide. Ok, now that we have the obvious reference to the title of this post out of the way…on to the real meat of this story.

My favorite thing about f/32 Photo oddly enough has nothing to do with photography. If you have ever seen the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, it actually relates more to the same reason that the Bailey Building and Loan was successful despite Mr. Potter’s best attempts to squash it like a bug beneath his shoe. (If you haven’t seen this movie, PLEASE take the time to watch it. It’s not just for Christmas, I promise:)). It’s about community, relationships, and support…being in something together with other people. Yes, photography and storytelling may be what brings us together, but the relationships formed from that start are where the magic lies. That is what makes me want to go in everyday and see what kind of difference we can make in someone’s life that day, no matter how small an impact it may seem at the time. Most of the time, the life that ends up being impacted is mine.

I think about this pretty frequently, but today it was particularly heavy on my heart as once again, we are faced with change. One of our long time, regular clients (and friend) is moving this week. I have known about it for awhile, but have just chosen not to think about it. He isn’t going that far and we will still get to see him occasionally as he will still be working in the area frequently (plus, we will still be printing for him, so we still get to see his work:)). However, it won’t be the weekly to bi-weekly visits to which we have grown accustomed and look forward to. I’m also really going to miss his kids. Two boys in elementary school, the youngest of whom was a regular fixture in the store with his Dad until he started kindergarten this year. It was hard enough not to see him on a regular basis once he started school. I met him when he was three and he would literally beat his Dad to the front door of the store, throw it open and yell “Helllloooooo” announcing his enormous presence and personality that were much larger than his little frame at the time. As I was watching the boys play some imaginary game under the tripods this afternoon, their Dad was relaying to Dayna (our newest f/32 team member) how she missed the stage the youngest went through when our tripod display was his “dress shop” and he would take custom orders for dresses and matching shoes from us, which he would then proceed to manufacture in his “shop” and deliver the product to us. Occasionally, we would get matching hair accessories as well. Once, I received custom designed Chacos (once I told him what Chacos were:)). I would also get special candy requests from the youngest for the candy jar, and if I let it sit empty for too long, he would leave me notes on post-its requesting more candy please in his cute little boy scribble. Today, right before they left, I told the youngest that his shoe was untied and he asked me to tie it for him. I’m sure he can do it himself, but as I bent down to tie it, I did think that it was these little things I would miss about this family. Next time I see him, he will probably be too old for me to tie his shoe for him.

It has been a joy to watch those boys grow, both in pictures and in visits, and hear stories of their antics from their Dad when he would come in to pick up orders. I am going to miss all of them, but am so grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know them. Would not have missed that chance for anything, even though it makes it harder to say goodbye. What a blessing to have a client who, in addition to being a great Dad, is seriously one of THE MOST talented photographers I have ever known who I also get to count as a friend. Looking forward to continuing to see your amazing work come through the printer and am praying for fruitful growth of your business in your new location as well as your faithful clientele who will keep you in Knoxville on a regular basis. It has really been our privilege to work with you the past three years and we look forward to seeing the amazing things that are to come for you and your family on this next leg of your journey.

We may no longer be just a few miles down the road, but if there is ever anything we can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask:)

We are a pretty tight knit crew here at f/32 Photo. There are only five of us (not counting Wilson, because he isn’t here in the store most of the time), so we have become pretty close. Since we became f/32 Photo in May 2010, we have only had one staff member come on board, Dustin. (And he was filling a spot left by Danielle, who is still a customer, she just expanded her own business to full time). We all have a different skill set and strengths, so we work well together, one picking up where another might leave off.

You might guess where this post is headed. I knew it wouldn’t last forever, but I wasn’t quite ready to let go just yet. I guess most of the time, we never really are. However, there is a time and a purpose for everything, and it is not always for us to understand at the moment. So, we wanted to let everyone know that Tabitha will be leaving f/32 Photo at the end of March. She has an opportunity for an exciting new path in her life and will be moving out of Knoxville to pursue what lies ahead. We are so excited for her and wish her well in all that her future holds, but we will miss her terribly. Tabitha was part of the original f/32 crew and has been instrumental in our growth with her infectious personality, wonderful customer service skills, ever-growing photographic skills and knowledge, and just an innate ability to make people feel comfortable and at home. Plus, she is the only one who ever got all of my crazy movie, tv, and song references even though we are separated by more than a decade in age:) I know that many of you have formed friendships with her as well on many different levels, and they probably began because she was the familiar, cheerful voice that normally answered the phone or greeted you at the front counter.

So, even though we are sad that our season with Tabitha at f/32 is coming to an end, we wish her the best in all that the future holds for her. We hope that you will have the opportunity to stop by to see her this month and say goodbye before she leaves Knoxville. Hers will be difficult shoes to fill.

If you love nature, wildflowers, photography, and having a good time while learning a few things with other photographers and enthusiasts, all while in the beautiful setting of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, then this workshop could be for you!

f/32 Photo’s owner (Wilson Reynolds, the guy you never actually see in the store because he is always out on the road somewhere…) will be leading the workshop along with Brett Wells, talented instructor, photographer, and also our Sigma representative. Between the two of them, they have forgotten more than I will ever know!

The dates for the workshop are April 12th-April 14th and it will be based at Tremont Outdoor Resort in Townsend, TN. If you would like more information on the workshop, please click here for the nitty gritty details and a link for registration!

If you don’t already receive the personal emails that we send out when we announce these workshops, you can sign up to be on that list by suscribing to the newsletter of f/32 Photo by clicking on “Subscribe to our e-newsletter” at the top of our website. (Don’t worry, we do not bombard you with email and clutter up your inbox!)

If you have any questions about the workshop, please feel free to email me at April@f32photo.com and I’ll do my best to answer them. Don’t dally though because we can only take 12 students and we already have 4!

If you would like to see some of the images and read a little bit about last year’s workshop, click here🙂

We have experienced quite a bit of change at f/32 in the last 60 days, all of it so exciting! One of the latest things that may seem small to most is a dream come true for us. We have our very own display window facing Montvue road (that road that runs between West Town Mall and our shopping center). We have never had any road side signage of any kind, so we are pretty happy about this change of events.

So, if you are driving by, be sure to safely glance in our direction and check out our window! We aren’t up to Macy’s standards yet by any means, but for our first window display, I thought it turned out pretty well. More exciting and elaborate ones to come in the future I’m sure:) But for now, we just want this one to say who we are and what we do, or at least give folks a reason to stop in because they are intrigued:) Stay tuned for progress updates on more exciting changes at f/32! And don’t forget to print…it is the best way to archive:)

We are so excited to be able to now be able to offer Gallery Blocks to our customers! If you have never seen these in person before, be sure to check out our sample display in the store. The pictures online are nice, but the actual product is beautiful!

If you aren’t familiar with Gallery Blocks, they are constructed using a single professional print laminated over a solid wood constructed box. They have perfect 90 degree corners and come in floating and single varieties. The single Gallery Block is just that, one block (one inch in depth) with an image wrapped around it, ranging in size from 4×6 all the way to 24×36. The smaller single blocks come in sets of three. A “floating” Gallery Block is a series of smaller print blocks constructed together to create a one-of-a-kind piece of wall art. The floating Gallery Block is manufactured to look like each individual Gallery Block is floating over a large image background.

We love the built in hanging system! You can also purchase an optional hanging bracket that mounts flush to the wall with two drywall screws that are included in the kit.

The creative possibilities with these products are endless! There are a wide variety of configurations available as well as a nice selection of templates pre-designed for each style of Gallery Block. Click here to see our catalog of available options and templates. Please note that the sizes of the Gallery Blocks and the orientation of the floating pieces in the various styles cannot be altered. However, the design can be completely up to you! You can choose from a pre-designed template, have us create a custom design for you, or ask us for the template guides to a certain style if you would like to create it yourself in Photoshop.

Currently, Gallery Blocks can be ordered in person at our store. We are working toward having these available through our online ordering system, but we just couldn’t wait to bring them to you! This way, we can walk you through the process and help you figure out your configuration and design choice.

In addition to the Gallery Blocks, we are also now offering Cube Decor. These cubes come in 4 and 8 inches and can be ordered individually or in multiple quantities.

And finally, we are also now offering a line of frames called “Sweet Frames”. They come in two styles: Classic and Ornate, five sizes : 5×7, 8×10, 8×12, 11×14, and 16×20, and four color choices pictured below. Currently we are ordering these upon request.

Wow, that’s a lot of new stuff at one time!

If you are a professional photographer and would like to be able to offer these products to your clients, please talk to us and we will be happy to provide you with marketing information and sizing templates to create your own designs.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, this thing we call a “photographic community”. While Knoxville may be the third largest city in the state, it’s really one of those “large small towns”. Most photographers (and there are a LOT of us) here know each other, or knows someone who knows someone else. It may only be on Facebook, but most of us are connected in some way. When we work together to support each other and the craft, that is a powerful community. And while it used to be that photographers did not want to share their “trade secrets” or knowledge with other photographers for fear of training their competition, I really don’t see much of that anymore from my vantage point in the industry, which is refreshing.

That brings me to the point of this post. A couple of weeks ago, the national AYSO soccer tournaments were in Knoxville and we had several people come into f/32 Photo to rent equipment for shooting the games. One day, we had two Dads with cameras who had brought their kids all the way from Utah and needed help in selecting and renting equipment that would allow them to accomplish what they wanted within their knowledge base and budget. So, as we talked about what bodies they would be shooting with, their overall photographic knowledge, and what they wanted to be able to capture in the time they were here, I was doing my best to draw on all of the sports photography tips that I have learned to help them make the best decision. Let me qualify that these were two incredibly honest and humble Dads who freely admitted that they had nice cameras but mostly shot on scene modes because they didn’t understand the manual creative modes. Hey, we all had to start somewhere. It’s much easier to work from the place of where someone actually is in terms of skill level and not where they think they are. So, I’m explaining how to shoot in Shutter priority (because I didn’t think I should throw metering and Manual mode at them in the beginning) and why it would be beneficial to them for what they were shooting. Now, I’m not a sports photographer, but I have had the privilege and opportunity to work with a great sports photographer in our area, Hobe Brunson, and he had taught me a thing or two that have really helped me. So, I’m trying to recall and regurgitate the things that Hobe has taught me when in he walks through the door. I asked him if he was in a hurry and if not, would he mind giving these two gentlemen some pointers. He graciously agreed and began discussing the best lens options for them, how to set their cameras, and how to shoot to get the best results. They took lenses outside and practiced with them, Hobe set up their cameras for them, and we even had to look a few things up since they had camera bodies that neither of us shoot regularly. At the end of the discussion, I even heard Hobe give them his cell number in case they had any trouble once they got to the games and couldn’t figure something out. He said that he didn’t know if he would be able to help them over the phone, but he would try. These are two people he had never met, would probably never see again, and gained nothing from how well their images turned out or not. Totally altruistic. It did my heart good to see a photographer that I respect and admire passing it on in such a way.

A few days later, Hobe came in the store and told me that those two guys had sent him an email thanking him for all of his help. They also said that he made it look much easier than it actually was:) Hopefully, they captured some amazing memories for their kids though. That was their goal and what it was all about. I’m thankful that Hobe was there at the right time to help make that happen!

Many of you have requested it, and we have now been able to fulfill your wish…

Come in and try out our brand new touchscreen Photo Kiosk! If has the same ordering format as our ordering system on our website, so you may already be familiar. If you can order it online, you can order it at the kiosk in store. That means not only prints, but cards, collages, buttons, magnets, and more coming very soon!

Many of you may remember the old kiosk that used to sit on the front counter. In a word, it was terrible. So, we decided the best thing to do was just remove it and help everyone with their on site orders through on of our computers until we could find a better solution. That has worked pretty well, but many people don’t want help and just want to come in and place their order on their own. Now, that is an option once again! However, if you like having someone help you and walk through things with you, we certainly still offer that service as well! We understand that sometimes making decisions on images and enlargements can be tough, so we are perfectly willing and able to be the objective third party that you sometimes need. So, please know that you are by no means ever expected to use the kiosk! It is certainly your choice as to which type of service better fits your needs. We are just happy that we can provide both.

So, come on in and give it a try! We are more than happy to walk you through any part of it that you need assistance with as well. Oh, and see that awesome shot of Lisa (our lab manager) hanging above the kiosk? That is a 20×24 print that was made from an image taken with an iPhone 4s! Take a close look at it when you are in the store. It’s pretty amazing what you can do with files from the newer cell phone cameras! By the way, we print those as well. Look for a mobile app coming soon, but as of now, we can print them in store for you (or you are welcome to email them to us at print@f32photo.com with print instructions). Soon you will be able to connect your iPhone to the kiosk and print straight from there!